Traffic signal



J 6, 1925. 1,522,208' W. RUKSTELIS TRAFFIC S IGNAL Filed June '7, 1923 Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

ITQEDLJ STATE ST -liill'li OF F l C E.

WIIZIJIAMTRUKSTEIJIS; OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA,- ASSIGNOR OF"ONTE'HALF 'IO MIKE-MILUSA, OFiLOS ANGELES? CALIFORNIA.-

TRAFFIC SIGN AL.

Applicationfiled-Uune 7, 1923.. Serial vNo. 643,918.+

To. all whom it mag concern:

state of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Traflic. Signals, .of

which: the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to signals for. road 5 vehicles and more particularly for motor 1011* vehicles.

Anxob ject of theinvention is-to provide.

a signal apparatus including independent right and .lefthand. turn indicating. signals that are adapted .to be set by hand and that. are adapted to beautoinatica-lly brokenat. the completion of the turn otthe vehicle throughoperation of the steering mechanism. AnOtherobJect is to provide a manual cut-out device. for cancelling. previously set sig ial intheevent that the proposed Fig. 2 is-a cross section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Fig-.3 is a plan showing. the mechanism ofi'Figure 1 in tripping position.

Fig. t is a cross section on line 4 4 of Figure 3.'.

5' is a bottomplan of the device of Figure 2.

Fig.6 is:a sectional view on line 6-6 of.

Figure 1 showing the manual cut-out device.

The. apparatus includes a set of signal lights which,..when respectively energized, aredesignedftoindicate respectively a right hancLand. a left hand turn- Man'sare providecllfor. energizingeither signal light undermanual.contr.ol, -and means are also provided for automatically. breaking the energizing. circuit .ofithe set signal by operation ofJthesteering meansof a vehicle to which the signals may be applied.

The control means of the apparatus may be enclosed. in and mounted'on a suitable box 2'.. from the face of which projects a right hand turn button R and 'a left hand turnb'utton L, and also a cancellation or cut-out button C. Sleeves 4 and 5 are inserted between the bottom 2 and the top 2% and have notches 4 and 5%.- These buttons are. each yieldingly held in outer position as by springs3. The buttons R and L have respective push rods at and 5 which are each. provided with respective notches or grooves 6 and'T. The push-rods 4; and 5slide inv sleeves 4i and 5 and the notches 6 and 7 in the push rods are adapted to register with the notches 4L and 5 in the sleeves.

has an arm 8, normally pulled by a spring.

9 into the slot P against the contiguous push.

rodl, and the other of which has an arm 10 drawn by a spring 11 into the slot 5 against the push rod 5. The arms 8 and 10rest in the slots Band 5 all the time and this prevents the arms from vibrating up or down. The bell crank arm 8 is combined with an arm'S, and the bell crank arm 10 is combined with an armlO and these arms reach toward each other and carry respective arm'atures 8 and 10, disposed opposite to thecore 12 of an elcctromagnet'li-l mounted in the box 2.

Thus it willlbe seen that'when'either button. R or L is pushed downwardly, .the slot or groove of its push rod is engaged by the i respective locking arm Sor 1O andtherefore the push rod and button are held depressed against the reacting springs 3. The push. buttons'R and L formmeans for closing.

respective electric circuits for" the signal lights, and these circuits include a common" battery, from which leads a wire having; branches 15 and 15, connectedto respective flexible contacts 16 and 16 overlapping and normally spaced-below depressible contacts 17 and 17, disposed below the'lowerends of the plungers 4 and "5, whichlower ends are provided with insulating blocks 18. The contact 17 is electrically"connectedto the right hand signal light; andthis isconnected by aground line to the'metal structure or Mounted within the box2' 1s a'set of bell cranks, one of "which.

the depressed plunger under control of the latch arm 8 or 10, as the case ma Y be, and means are provided for automatically breaking the energized signalling circuit at the completion of the turn of the vehicle.

This automatic means is combined with the lever arm of the steering mechanism, and which is connected to the drag link so that as the arm returns to a normal,straight driving position, it will become effective to break the energized signal circuit. A form of circuit breaking means includes a lever arm forked or slotted to receive the drag lever, and is secured on a rock shaft. To pro 'ide for quick action, there is secured on the rock shaft a segment of a gear, engaging a pinion, fixed on a rock shaft on which is secured a finger 30. V

In the neutral or normal position of the finger, it stands between a )air of yieldingly mounted dogs which are ac apted to yield in tw directions, this being made possible by tensioned springs connected to the dogs. These dogs are electrically connected to a common wire, leading to the electromagnet 13. In operation, the finger moves in either direction from its neutral position and will engage one or the other of the dogs, which are provided with insulating portions, presented toward the finger as it moves from its neutral or intermediate position. The swinging finger will engage the insulating medium of the dog and the latter will be pressed with the movement of the finger until the end of the finger clears the dog, and this will then snap back into its normal position without closing the circuit in the line to the electromagnet 13.

Upon the return movement of the finger to its neutral position, as when the vehicle is running straight, the finger then comes into electrical contact with the exposed face of the engaged dog, and the circuit is com pleted through the wire to the electron'iagnet l3, thence by a wire to a contact member having ends disposed contiguous to the contacts 161T, and to the contacts 1(S'17'; the circuit being completed from the electroniagnet through the battery wires 15 or 15 to the battery.

Through the energization of the electromagnet 13, the armatures 8 and 10" are both attracted, and whichever of the armatures is connected to the arm 8 or arm 10 that may be in latching engagement with the depressed button push rod 4: or 5 will therefore serve to trip the effective latch arm and release the engaged push rod, whereupon the released push rod and its button L or R will be thrown to normal position and thus break the circuit at the contact 16-1'7 or 16'1T'.

For instance, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the latch arm 10 is in restraining engagement with the push rod 5 of the left hand turn signal button L. After the completion of the left hand turn, the finger is restored to an intermediate position, and during such restoration one of the dogs 30 30 is engaged and the electromagnet 13 is energized and the latching arm 10 is turned by the attraction of its armature 10" to release the rod 5.

In the event that one of the signal circuits has been closed, for making a signal of a proposed turn and such turn is not completed, the energized circuit may be broken by the operation of the cut-out button C, Figures 2 and 6. As this button is depressed, it moves a tripper 36 into en agement with the contiguous, outwardly tlrust arm 8" or 10", as the case may be, and this is pressed toward the pole of the electromagnet 13 and thus its latching arm is disengaged from its push rod and the latter will be released and the closed circuit broken.

Further embodiments, modifications and variations may be resorted to within the principle of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1, A switch for traffic signals, comprising a box having an upper plate and a lower plate spaced apart, two sleeves between the upper and lower plates and having notches, push rods slidingly mounted in the sleeves and having notches adapted to register with the notches in the sleeves, expansion springs upon the upper ends of the ush rods against the upper plate, buttons t ixed upon the upper ends of the push rods against the springs, an electro-magnet mounted between the sleeves, bell crank levers mounted upon pivots at their angles, corresponding arms of said bell crank levers fitting in the notches in the sleeves, springs connected to said arms to pullthe arms into the notches, the other ends of the bell crank levels being adjacent the end of the electro-magnct, armatures upon these ends of the bell crank levers to be operated by the magnet so that when the buttons are operated to press the push rods outwardly the arms of the bell crank levers will snap into the notches of the push rods and hold the push rods and thereby moving the armatures away from the magnet and a third push rod mounted through the top of the box and having a beveled lower end to engage the armatures so that when the third push rod is pressed outwardly the bell crank levers will be swung upon their pivots out of the notches of the push rods thereby releasing the push rods.

2. In a switch for trafiic signals, a box having upper and lower plates spaced apart, push rods mounted to extend through the plates, springs upon the push rods against the upper plate, and buttons upon the push rods against the springs, insulating blocks upon the lower ends of the push rods, an insulating bloc-k against the bottom of the box, two flexible spring contacts mounted at one end of the insulation block with their free ends spaced one above the other and in position to be engaged by one push rod, two flexible spring contacts secured at the other end of the insulation block with their free ends spaced one above the other in line with the other push rod, a contact member mounted upon the insulation block with its ends extending under the ends of the pairs of contact members and spaced therefrom so that when a push button is depressed the corresponding contact members are brought together.

3. A switch for traffic signals, comprising abox ha vino; an upper plate and a lower plate spaced apart, two sleeves between the upper and lower plates and having notches, first and second push rods slidingly mounted in the sleeves andhaving notches adapted to register with the notches in the sleeves, springs for holding the push rods normally elevated, an electro-magnet mounted between the sleeves, bell crank levers mount-ed upon pivots at their angles, corresponding arms of said bell crank levers fitting in the notches in the sleeves, springs connected to said arms to pull the arms into the notches, the other ends of the bell crank levers be in adjacent the end of the core of the electro-magnet, armatures upon these ends of the bell crank levers, to be operated by the magnet so that when the push rods are moved downwardly the arms of the bell crank levers will snap into the notches of the push rod and move the armatures away from the magnet, a third push rod mounted through the top of the box and having a bevelled lower end to engage the armatures, so that when the third p'ush rod is pressed downwardly the bell crank levers will be swung upon their pivots out of the notches of the push rods, thereby releasing the push rods, and so that when the electro-magnet is energized the arma-t-ures will be pulled to the core and the bell crank levers will be swung upon the pivots out of the notches of the push rod, thereby releasing the push rod, insulating blocks upon the lower ends of the push rods, an insulating block against the bottom of the box, two flexible spring contacts mounted at one end of the insulating block with their free ends spaced one above the other and in position to be engaged by one push rod, a second two flexible spring contacts secured at the other end of the insulation block with their free ends spaced one above the other in line with the second push rod, a fifth contact member mounted upon the insulation block with its ends extending under the ends of the first and second pairs of contact members and spaced therefrom, so that when either push rod is moved downwardly corresponding cont-act members are brought together and the push rod held by the bell crank levers until the electro-magnet is energized, or the third push rod manually operated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

VILLIAM RUKSTE'LIS. 

